Return
by x-Teh-Skittles-Alchemist-x
Summary: [Before Movie] It's been five years since Edward Elric disappeared beyond the gate, five years that have left friends and family to believe that he was dead. But when he suddenly appears at Winry's doorstep, chaos begins to ensue. [EdxWin] [RoyxRiza]
1. Chapter 1

_Return_

**Chapter One**

**A/N/ Hey guys! Welcome to my very /first/ Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction!**

**Alphonse: -runs in- You…started…without me…**

**Phoenix: --' No I didn't, you're just late. –grins- Anyways, helping me out with this little fic is Alphonse Elric, who was supposed to be here five minutes ago.**

**Alphonse: Xx B-b-but you said to be here around 9:30! Whatever happened to making sure I understood clearly!**

**Phoenix: Eheh…On with the story! XP**

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_Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa owns everything that has to do with Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't._

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"I-I don't want to hear any more…just…please…don't call me again."

"Winry wai-"

With trembling hands, Winry Rockbell hung up the receiver, sniffling quietly as she glared at the phone before her. To be honest, she'd give anything to hear his voice again, even though she had dared to hang up on him before he had gotten the chance to finish.

"Stupid jerk." She hissed, blue eyes brimming with tears that were begging to fall. She knew this was going to happen sooner or later, yet -like any girl- she had hoped that it would never happen to her.

Every single person she had cared about was gone. Well, except for Den of course.

Pinako had passed on less than a year ago, and Al had left with Izumi to resume his training. Now Kurt was gone, having just broke off with her less than five minutes ago. He had told her that he had found someone new, and didn't want to hurt her feelings by cheating. Yeah right, if anything hurt more right now, it would have to be the fact that he was gone from her life for good.

And then there was Edward.

She didn't even want to start on that little jerk. Sure she missed him and all, but she couldn't help but get angry at him for not being there for his own brother. He wasn't even there to make some snide remark that would somehow cheer her up during a time like this. Sighing to herself, she turned on her heel and made her way towards the kitchen. What a perfect time to dig into those fattening foods…

Ed had been gone five years since yesterday, and it was because of that that his Military superiors deemed him to be dead. Of course Al refused to believe that, for he was sure that his brother was somewhere out there. Winry, however, didn't believe it anymore. How could Ed be alive if he had completely vanished from their world?

Once she had gathered a small pile of 'necessary' things, Winry sat down and dug in. She really hadn't changed much during the years. She still had the same long, blonde hair; only now she had pulled it back into a tight bun. She even wore the same style clothes that she had always worn before.

Unfortunately, she had only grown two inches in the past five years, and was now stuck in this height for the rest of her life. She smiled to herself, knowing that if Ed was alive, he would probably be taller than her. That is if he started drinking milk wherever he was.

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Thunder rumbled overhead, raging war against the lightning that flashed high in the heavens. Rain pelted down upon the small town of Risembool, forming puddles along the dirt pathways. A lone figure could be seen, stumbling down the path towards the big, yellow house. A brown trench coat covered his soaked body, weighing him down as he forced himself to keep walking.

"She's…still…there…" He croaked, a soft wheezing sound emitting from his throat each time he inhaled and exhaled sharply. Crap. He didn't need another attack right now. Not while he was still out here in the storm.

The minute he took another step, his knees gave way and he was sent crashing to the ground. With a small growl, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position. He then hunched over, his body violently convulsing as he began to cough. Almost immediately after, he placed his gloved hand over his mouth to catch the precious red liquid that was spilling from his insides.

Removing his hand, he scowled lightly at the blood that stained the white fabric. Dizziness swept over him, while his vision began to get blurry and dark.

"W-Winry…" He muttered, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his vision blackened even further. Before he could do anything more, he lost consciousness and slumped over in the mud.

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Winry jumped as a flash of lightning pierced the dark sky, her blue eyes flicking towards the window. A boom of thunder rang in her ears, and Winry shuddered slightly. She had always hated storms.

A sharp bark forced her to turn her attention away from the heavens, and onto her beloved dog. Den was racing through the rain as if he was no longer that lazy, old dog that he had become over the past few years. Winry frowned, a slight scowl plastering itself upon her face. Something had to be up if Den was acting like this.

Cursing, Winry stood up and proceeded to grab her rain coat. Den was still barking outside, occasionally lowering his head to sniff a rather large lump on the ground. Winry's first impression was to think that Den had found another rabbit hole, but of course, she was wrong.

"Den! Come inside right this instant!" She called, running outside and pulling the hood of her raincoat over her head. Den looked up when he heard her voice, whimpering pitifully as he pawed at the lump on the ground.

It was then that Winry realized that the lump was a person. Her eyes grew wide with fright for a split second, before she rushed forward to grab the poor guy.

"Are you alright!" She asked, shaking the strange young man lightly. There was something about him, something familiar that she couldn't tell what it was exactly.

Earning no response from him, Winry proceeded to try and get him inside. To her, this task wouldn't be as easy as it looked. Deciding that it was worth a try, she slowly lifted him up into her arms. He was…light. Too light to be precise.

"C'mon Den!" She called to her beloved dog, standing up and beginning to run towards the house. Den obediently followed her, whimpering quietly as he kept pace with his mistress. Occasionally, he would look up at the man Winry carried, as if he had known the man his whole life. That puzzled Winry to no end, making her wonder why her dog was giving this stranger such a look.

Once inside, Winry shut the door and rushed to place the man on the couch. Once she knew that he wouldn't roll off the couch or something, she ran to get towels and blankets, as well as a large bucket of hot water. She then proceeded to remove his soaked garments, hesitating for a mere second before a determined expression plastered itself on her face.

'C'mon Winry, forget about your damn modesty.' She thought, unbuttoning the trench coat and carefully pulling it off.

She then moved to his shirt, making sure to peel it from his skin slowly as not to hurt any wounds. When she revealed his bare chest, she gasped in surprise, backing away and staring wide-eyed at the man before her.

Bruises and cuts covered his torso, coating his pale flesh with new and old blood. His ribs jutted out from his skin, rising and falling with each shallow breath. But what really made Winry's skin crawl, was the crude automail arm attached to his right shoulder. Jagged scars ran out from underneath his replacement arm, the scars she knew like the back of her hand.

A soft noise brought her attention on the man's face, tears forming when her blue eyes met piercing golden ones. A soft smile played across his lips, a smile that rarely ever came from him, or much less to her from him anyway. She had seen it only a few times, yet she remembered it like it was yesterday.

"Hey Win." He said softly, causing more tears to fall down her cheeks as her nickname was mentioned.

Lying on her couch, all bruised and bleeding, was the man she both hated and loved for the same reason. The man she had missed above all others. There on her couch was Edward Elric, The Fullmetal Alchemist.

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**Phoenix: So…what do ya think so far! Pretty good ain't it! XD I'd knew you'd say that.**

**Alphonse: They didn't say anything! And 'ain't' isn't a word!**

**Phoenix: Quiet you! XD Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Return_

**Chapter two**

**Phoenix: So here we are again, the second chapter of 'Return'. Sorry for the wait…I was working on two chapters at once and got caught up in other things.**

**Al: She's not lying…Yup. –nods-**

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_Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa owns everything that has to do with Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't._

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Why hadn't she recognized him before? Why hadn't she clued in when she noticed the way Den had acted when he'd found him?

Those thoughts wheeled around in her head as she stared at the man before her, tears streaming down her cheeks and dropping to the floor. With a soft sob, Winry returned to Edward's side, her blue eyes still locked within his golden ones.

A gloved hand slowly reached forward to catch a single tear from her face, causing Winry to look away from his gaze and gently take his hand in hers. She looked up at him again, examining his face as if she had never seen him before. His blonde hair was covered in mud, as was his face. Where there was no mud, she could see a slight trace of stubble around his chin area. His eyes were shadowed, and his face was sunken. To her, he seemed like a lost child, crying out for someone to hold him and comfort him.

He reached out for her again, as if he wasn't sure that she was actually there. That earned another sob from her, which made Edward frown slightly. His eyebrows knitted together to form a scowl as he watched her.

"W-What happened to you, Ed?" Winry choked out, still clutching his hand in hers and keeping it close.

Ed opened his mouth to say something again, but started to cough violently once more. Winry immediately let go of his hand and felt his forehead, sharply pulling back when she felt burning hot skin underneath her own.

"God…" She hissed, standing up and grabbing one of the towels she had brought down. She soaked it in the hot water, folding it up and then proceeding to place it upon Ed's forehead. He didn't seem to take any notice, moaning in pain when he finished coughing.

"Y-You're not going to l-leave are you?" He asked, his voice sounding strained as he talked. He looked at Winry, his eyes filled with hope and need. Winry shook her head, smiling at him.

"No, Ed. I'm going to stay with you. I promise." She replied, gaining a small smile from her childhood friend. He gazed at her with reassurance in his eyes, before turning his head and looking up at the ceiling.

Winry sighed, standing up again and grabbing more towels to clean his wounds. For now, she had forgotten about Kurt. All she could think about was Ed, and if he'd really be okay or not. Either way, she was determined to make sure he'd turn out alright in the end, even if it meant that she probably wouldn't get a decent meal in the days to come.

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"Stay still, okay?" She whispered, dipping the cloth into the water and then proceeding to gently dab at his wounds. Ed could only manage a small nod, his eyes beginning to droop from fatigue. After all he had been through just to get here, it was amazing that he had made it alive.

That's right. He was alive, not dead/alive/. He couldn't help but smile softly at that thought, ignoring the stinging pain in his chest. He could be free again, free to do whatever he liked without anyone stopping him from doing so. He could see Al, Winry, and even his mother's grave if he wanted to. And best of all, he could forget.

With that final thought in mind, Edward Elric finally let sleep envelope him. His eyes closed and his breathing became slow and easy, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm.

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Hours passed slowly as Winry worked, cleaning and dressing each of Ed's wounds with utmost care. Once she was finished cleaning him up, she grabbed a pile of blankets and covered the feverish Alchemist with them. If she had any hopes of breaking his fever, she would have to keep him warm.

For a while, she just sat and watched him sleep, all sorts of thoughts crossing her mind. She wondered the most on how she should break this sudden news to Al, or how to keep him away long enough to let Ed get better first. The last thing she wanted was for Al to see Ed in this condition. That would break Al's heart for sure.

Her thoughts then moved towards Ed, wondering what had happened to him. To her, it seemed as if someone had given him a good beating. But who would do such a thing?

The question sounded simple and stupid, but Winry couldn't help but feel like there was something definitely wrong. There had to be a deeper reason to why Ed was in such a state.

Sighing to herself, Winry stood and grabbed a small mattress from behind the couch. If she planned on taking care of Ed in the next few days, it was a good idea to get some well earned rest. Besides, her brain hurt from thinking too much…

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Days turned into weeks as Winry devoted herself to nursing Edward back to health. There would be times where Edward would be awake and talkative, while there would be times where he didn't seem to have enough energy to do anything at all. And then there'd be the times where he'd just simply stare up at the ceiling, muttering incoherent words to himself as if he was talking to someone or something. These actions sort of scared the Mechanic. In all of the years she had known Edward, she had never really seen him act this way.

Today, she was working on taking the wrecked and damaged automail off, and replacing it with a new pair. It was about time Edward had some decent legs to walk on, since his left leg had not served its purpose properly. And since his wounds had somewhat healed over, replacing the automail was no problem

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"Winry." Ed suddenly asked, turning his head around in order to look at Winry as she began unscrewing the damaged automail from the mount on his shoulder. She merely glanced at him.

"Yeah, Ed?"

"You never told me. What's Al been doing since I was gone?" He asked, wincing as Winry finally managed to disconnect a few nerve wires.

"He's been training with Izumi. He wanted to learn Alchemy so he could find a way to bring you back." At Ed's puzzled look, Winry sighed.

"He lost his memory. He can't remember anything that happened between the time you two tried to bring your mother back and the time you disappeared. And when we found him, he was in his original body but he still looked only ten." She explained. Ed stayed silent, closing his eyes and placing a thoughtful expression on his face. He usually did that. He'd talk for a minute or two and then fall silent as if he had never said a word at all.

The silence between them carried on for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from the soft tapping of Winry's fingers against the automail. He didn't speak again until Winry had managed to disconnect the arm entirely.

"When did he say he'd come back?" He piped up, watching as Winry placed the arm on the table beside her and moved to work on his leg.

"Dunno. I sent him a letter the day before you arrived, and he hasn't replied since." Giving Ed a sudden gab in the chest, Winry carried on, "Reminds me of when the two of you were away. You'd never send me anything to let me know how you were. It makes me think of how much Al is getting to be like you." She chuckled at that last statement, her blue eyes flicking up to meet his gaze, a soft smile on her face. Edward blinked, but managed to smile back before she carried on with her work. It was good to know that Al seemed to be doing okay, but he couldn't help but feel like Al wouldn't be coming for a while. He desperately wanted to see his younger brother.

Sighing, Edward turned his head in order to look out the window nearby. Winry merely looked up at him as he did this, not bothering to ask what was on his mind. In the state that he was in at the moment, she knew that he didn't want to talk anymore and she was going to respect that. She didn't like that, but she knew she had to.

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**Phoenix: Stay tuned in for the next chapter! Read and Review!**


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